=======================================
Installing and Using Python Keyring Lib
=======================================
.. contents:: **Table of Contents**
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What is Python keyring lib?
---------------------------
The Python keyring lib provides a easy way to access the system keyring service
from python. It can be used in any application that needs safe password storage.
The keyring services supported by the Python keyring lib:
* **OSXKeychain**: supports the Keychain service in Mac OS X.
* **KDEKWallet**: supports the KDE's Kwallet service.
* **GnomeKeyring**: for Gnome 2 environment.
* **SecretServiceKeyring**: for newer GNOME and KDE environments.
Besides these native password storing services provided by operating systems.
Python keyring lib also provides following build-in keyrings.
* **Win32CryptoKeyring**: for Windows 2k+.
* **CryptedFileKeyring**: a command line interface keyring base on PyCrypto.
* **UncryptedFileKeyring**: a keyring which leaves passwords directly in file.
-------------------------
Installation Instructions
-------------------------
easy_install or pip
===================
Run easy_install or pip::
$ easy_install keyring
$ pip install keyring
Source installation
===================
Download the source tarball, and uncompress it, then run the install command::
$ wget http://pypi.python.org/packages/source/k/keyring/keyring-0.3.tar.gz
$ tar -xzvf keyring-0.3.tar.gz
$ cd keyring-0.3
$ python setup.py install
--------------------------
Configure your keyring lib
--------------------------
The python keyring lib contains implementations for several backends, including
**OSX Keychain**, **Gnome Keyring**, **KDE Kwallet** and etc. The lib will
automatically choose the keyring that is most suitable for your current
environment. You can also specify the keyring you like to be used in the config
file or by calling the ``set_keyring()`` function.
Customize your keyring by config file
=====================================
This section is about how to change your option in the config file.
Config file path
----------------
The configuration of the lib is stored in a file named "keyringrc.cfg". The file
can be stored in either of following two paths.
1. The working directory of the python
2. The home directory for current user
The lib will first look for the config file in the working directory. If no
config file exists **or** the config file is not write properly, the lib will
look up in the home folder.
Config file content
-------------------
To specify a keyring backend, you need tell the lib the module name of the
backend, such as ``keyring.backend.OSXKeychain``. If the backend is not shipped
with the lib, in another word, is made by you own, you need also tell the lib
the path of your own backend module. The module name should be written after the
**default-keyring** option, while the module path belongs the **keyring-path**
option.
Here's a sample config file(The full demo can be accessed in the ``demo/keyring.py``):
::
[backend]
default-keyring=simplekeyring.SimpleKeyring
keyring-path=/home/kang/pyworkspace/python-keyring-lib/demo/
Write your own keyring backend
==============================
The interface for the backend is defined by ``keyring.backend.KeyringBackend``.
By extending this base class and implementing the three functions
``supported()``, ``get_password()`` and ``set_password()``, you can easily create
your own backend for keyring lib.
The usage of the three functions:
* ``supported(self)`` : Return if this backend is supported in current
environment. The returned value can be **0**, **1** , or **-1**. **0** means
suitable; **1** means recommended and **-1** means this backend is not
available for current environment.
* ``get_password(self, service, username)`` : Return the stored password for the
``username`` of the ``service``.
* ``set_password(self, service, username, password)`` : Store the ``password``
for ``username`` of the ``service`` in the backend.
For an instance, there's the source code of the demo mentioned above. It's a
simple keyring which stores the password directly in memory.
::
"""
simplekeyring.py
A simple keyring class for the keyring_demo.py
Created by Kang Zhang on 2009-07-12
"""
from keyring.backend import KeyringBackend
class SimpleKeyring(KeyringBackend):
"""Simple Keyring is a keyring which can store only one
password in memory.
"""
def __init__(self):
self.password = ''
def supported(self):
return 0
def get_password(self, service, username):
return self.password
def set_password(self, service, username, password):
self.password = password
return 0
Set the keyring in runtime
==========================
Besides setting the backend through the config file, you can also set the
backend to use by calling the api ``set_keyring()``. The backend you passed in
will be used to store the password in your application.
Here's a code snippet from the ``keyringdemo.py``. It shows the usage of
``set_keyring()``
::
# define a new keyring class which extends the KeyringBackend
import keyring.backend
class TestKeyring(keyring.backend.KeyringBackend):
"""A test keyring which always outputs same password
"""
def supported(self): return 0
def set_password(self, servicename, username, password): return 0
def get_password(self, servicename, username):
return "password from TestKeyring"
# set the keyring for keyring lib
import keyring
keyring.set_keyring(TestKeyring())
# invoke the keyring lib
try:
keyring.set_password("demo-service", "tarek", "passexample")
print "password stored sucessfully"
except keyring.backend.PasswordError:
print "failed to store password"
print "password", keyring.get_password("demo-service", "tarek")
-----------------------------------------------
Integrate the keyring lib with your application
-----------------------------------------------
API interface
=============
The keyring lib has two functions:
* ``get_password(service, username)`` : Returns the password stored in keyring.
If the password does not exist, it will return None.
* ``set_password(service, username, password)`` : Store the password in the
keyring.
Example
=======
Here's an example of using keyring for application authorization. It can be
found in the demo folder of the repository. Note that the faked auth function
only returns true when the password equals to the username.
::
"""
auth_demo.py
Created by Kang Zhang 2009-08-14
"""
import keyring
import getpass
import ConfigParser
def auth(username, password):
"""A faked authorization function.
"""
return username == password
def main():
"""This scrip demos how to use keyring facilite the authorization. The
username is stored in a config named 'auth_demo.cfg'
"""
# config file init
config_file = 'auth_demo.cfg'
config = ConfigParser.SafeConfigParser({
'username':'',
})
config.read(config_file)
if not config.has_section('auth_demo_login'):
config.add_section('auth_demo_login')
username = config.get('auth_demo_login','username')
password = None
if username != '':
password = keyring.get_password('auth_demo_login', username)
if password == None or not auth(username, password):
while 1:
username = raw_input("Username:\n")
password = getpass.getpass("Password:\n")
if auth(username, password):
break
else:
print "Authorization failed."
# store the username
config.set('auth_demo_login', 'username', username)
config.write(open(config_file, 'w'))
# store the password
keyring.set_password('auth_demo_login', username, password)
# the stuff that needs authorization here
print "Authorization successful."
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
------------
Get involved
------------
Python keyring lib is an open community project and highly welcomes new
contributors.
* Repository: http://bitbucket.org/kang/python-keyring-lib/
* Bug Tracker: http://bitbucket.org/kang/python-keyring-lib/issues/
* Mailing list: http://groups.google.com/group/python-keyring
Running Tests
=============
In order to be able to run the tests of the project you first have to bootstrap it. In order
to do this you can do the following:
1. python bootstrap # generate the buildbot
2. bin/buildbot # run the builbot it self.
3. bin/test # execute the test runner.
For more information about the options that the script provides do execute
> python bin/test --help
If this is the first time you are using a buildbot you can get the bootstrap script
the following way:
> svn cat svn://svn.zope.org/repos/main/zc.buildout/trunk/bootstrap/bootstrap.py > /tmp/bootstrap
And from that point you can use the following as step 1:
> python /tmp/bootstrap
-------
Credits
-------
The project was based on Tarek Ziade's idea in `this post`_. Kang Zhang
initially carried it out as a `Google Summer of Code`_ project, and Tarek
mentored Kang on this project.
.. _this post: http://tarekziade.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/pycon-hallway-session-1-a-keyring-library-for-python/
.. _Google Summer of Code: http://socghop.appspot.com/
See CONTRIBUTORS.txt for a complete list of contributors.